Carburetor heater



c. R. PIGGINS AND w. '0. HANSON.

CARBURETOR HEATER. APPucAH'oN FILED FEB. 17,1921.

Patented Apr. 25, 1922.

ulllli r TORS QZ-ML 12am W WITNESSES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES R. PIGGItNS AND WILLIAM c. HANSON, or Racine, Wiscons n.

To all whom it may concern: a

Be it known that we, CHARLES R- PIGGINS and WILLIAM C. HANSON, citizens of the United States, and residents of Racine, in the county of Racine and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Carburetor Heaters, of which the following is a description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

The invention relates to 'fuel'heaters and more particularly to a carburetor heater.

In cold weather great difficulty is experienced in starting an internal combustion engine using a carbureted mixture, due to the fact that the fuel itself issuing from the needle valve is cold and comes in contact with the cold inlet manifold and condenses and therefore does not mix readily with the air. While it is quite common to provide heaters for carburetors, which are built into the structure, many motor-driven vehicles are not provided with such special carburetors and to permit a preliminary heating of the fuel in the carburetor bowl of the usual form of carburetor we have designed an electric heater whichmay be readily applied to carburetors having bowls of different forms and sizes, and more particularly onein which the heater is readily clamped to the carburetor bowl. V

The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more particularly defined by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In the drawings: Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of a device embodying the invention, showing its manner of application to the carburetor; Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

The heater comprises a casing 3 having yielding and bendable or resilient band portions 4. integral therewith, as shown, or connected thereto in any suitable manner, which bands are adapted to partially surround and clampingly engage the bowl 5 of the usual carburetor to support the heater thereon and to serve with the casing as heat conductors for the bowl. The casing 3 is hollow and open at one end through which a heating element is inserted and secured.

The heatingelement' here shown consists of a cylindrical oorefi of insulating material,

such as porcelain, extending into the hollow interior of the casing 3 through a bore 7 in said casing and has a flanged portion 8 abut- CABBURETOR HEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr, 25', 1922,

Application filed February 17, 1921. Serial No. 445,686. i

ting the shoulder 10 adjacent the bore 7 and is secured to the casing by a sleeve nut 9 in threaded engagement with the outside end of the casing and bearing upon the flange 8 so as to clamp said flange betweenit and the shoulder 10. Binding posts 11 are cemented, or otherwise suitably secured, in the outer end of the shell 6, and each carries a set of terminal'nuts 12between which the ends of a resistance wire 13 are clamped. The resistance wire 13 passes from one post 11 through an opening near the outer end portion of the sleeve and is wound around the exterior of the sleeve up to the inner end thereof, and the wire then passes down through the interior of the sleeve 6 and is connected at its other end to the second post 11.

Electric current for heating the wire may be obtained from any suitable source, such as a storage battery on the automobile or from a source of current in the building in which the automobile is housed, the supply wires being connected to the posts 11 by means of terminal screws 14. With this con struction the heat givenofl? by the hot wire 13 is transmitted to the casing 3 and where the casing with its arms 4 contact with the bowl the heat from the casing is conducted through these parts to the bowl to heat the fuel therein. The arms may be sprung or contracted to such an extent as to readily fit different sizes of bowls and the device may be quickly applied without the necessity for special fitting, as the arms may be slipped onto the bowl and by their tension secure the device in position.

WVe desire it to be understood that this invention is not to be limited to any specific form or arrangement of parts herein set forth except in so far as such limitations are specified in the claims.

What we claim as our invention is:

1. A heater. for carburetor bowls comprising a tubular casing open at one end, an insulated support extending into the casing from the open end thereof, means for clamping said support in spaced relation with respect to the interior of the casing, an electrically heated element carried by said support within the casing, terminal connections on bendable lingers self-cla1npingly engngeable with a portion of the bowl, and an electric heater Within the casing furnishing heat to the bowl.

In testimony whereof, We aflix our signatures, in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES R. PIGGINS. \VILLIAM G. HANSON.

lVitnesses:

THOS. ALLEN, NELL M. FULLER. 

